Rotary image transfer machine



Dec. 23, 1958 'P. B. SIEREICH, sR.. ETAL 2,365,287

ROTARY IMAGE TRANSFER MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 50, 1954INVENTORS. JOSEPH HRUBY 8 PAUL B. STREICH, SR.

BY M w4 2. 1M

Dec. 23, 1958 P. B. STREICH, sR., ETAL 2,865,287

ROTARY IMAGE TRANSFER MACHINE Filed July 30, 1954 v v 4 Sheets-Sheet 2vJZ if pf //a Y F/G. 4. mmvroxs JOSEPH HRUBY a PAUL a. STREICH, SR.

BY W, W,i-r%w Dec. 23, 1958 P. B. STREICH, sR., ETAL 2,855,237

ROTARY IMAGE TRANSFER MACHINE Filed July 30, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG.5.

INVENTORS. JOSEPH HRUBY 8| PAUL B. STREICH, SR. BY

Dec. 23, 1958 P. B. STREICH, sR., ETAL 5,

ROTARY IMAGE TRANSFER MACHINE Filed July 30, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN VEN TORS JOSEPH HRUBY 8x PAUL B. STREICH, SR.

United States Patent ROTARY IMAGE TRANSFER MACHINE Paul 15. Streich,Sin, Maywood, and Joseph Hruby, Deerfield, IlL, assignors to CharlesBruning Company, Inc, Teterboro, N. J., a corporation of New JerseyApplication July 30, 1954, Serial No. 446,714 3 Claims. (Cl. 101-1325)This invention relates to the art photographic reproduction, wherein anegative image of an original to be copied is produced on the sensitizedsurface of a photographic member, the surface moistened with a solutionwhich softens the image to be transferred, and the surface thereafterpressed into contact with an image receiving sheet to transfer apositive image thereto. More particularly, the present invention relatesto a transfer machine for carrying out this process.

In apparatus of this general organization it is usual to pass theimage-transferring photographic member and the image-receiving sheetbeneath the level of the moistening solution, thereby thoroughlysaturating both sheets, and thereafter guiding them between a pair ofrollers to press the image-bearing surface of the photographic memberagainst the surface of the image-receiving sheet to effect the transferof the image. The present invention pro vides an improved apparatuswherein it is not necessary to pass either the image-bearingphotographic member or the image-receiving sheet beneath the level ofthe liquid.

In the present invention the leading edge of the negative photographicmember is fed to a gripper carried by a large cylinder, and thephotographic member is carried around part of the periphery of thecylinder, the imagebearing surface facing outwardly. During its travelaround the periphery of the cylinder, the image-bearing surface isengaged by a moistening roller which applies the moistening solution tothe image-bearing surface. The periphery of the moistening roller isspacially separated from the periphery of the cylinder so that it doesnot make contact therewith, however, when the photographic member ispassing between the peripheries of th roller and the cylinder a meniscuswill be formed in the small space therebetween. The meniscus serves toadequately moisten the image-bearing surface of the photographic memberwithout completely saturating the photo graphic member, and since thesurface of the moistening roller does not actually engage the surface ofthe photographic member, there is no danger of smearing or otherwisedestroying the image.

After passing the moistening roller in its travel around the peripheryof the cylinder, the gripper then carries the photographic memberthrough a given angle to give the moistening solution sufficient timeto. soften the image in order to insure that a good transfer will resultwhen the paper and the film are pressed together.

Meanwhile the sheet to receive the image will have been placed in awaiting position, and at the appropriate time in the cycle of themachine, the leading edge of the sheet is advanced into desiredregistration with the image-bearing photographic member on the cylinder,and the photographic member and the sheet to receive the image areintroduced into the bite between a pressure applying roller and thecylinder. The pressure of the roller against the periphery of thecylinder presses the softened image of the photographic member againstthe surface of the sheet to receive the image, thereby effect- "ice ingthe transfer of the image onto the paper. After passing the pressureapplying roller, the leading edge of the image-receiving: sheet may begripped and separated from the image-transferring photographic member,and ultimately the, gripper'is opened to free the leading edge. of thephotographic member to facilitate its removal from the cylinder. Themachine is; then ready for the next image transfer operation.

Throughout the entire cycle of operation neither the photographic membernor the image-receiving sheet is submerged into the moistening solution,but instead the moistening solution is applied tothe. image-transferringsurface. of the photographic member by virtue of the meniscus formedbetween. the liquid applying roller and the surface. It is possible,therefore, to; transfer the image to the image-receiving sheet withoutunduly saturating the sheet, either bydirect contact with the solu-.tion or by contact with a saturated image-transferring member, whichmight otherwise cause the sheet to lose its crisp appearance.

Another advantage. of the present invention over transfer machineswherein the image-transferring and imagereceiving sheets are guidedbeneath the surface of the moistening solution is. that the level of thesolution in the storage tank is not critical, as long as the level ishigh enough to wet the moistening roller. Also, the size and capacity ofthe tank need not be as large.

The present invention will be more fully described with reference to theaccompanying drawings in the detailed description of the invention whichfollows.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is. a top plan View partly in cross section of the machine of thepresent invention;

Pig.v 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 1,looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 4--4 of Fig. 2,looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a view taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4, looking in thedirection .of the arrows; and

Figs. 6 to 9, inclusive, are illustrative views representing the cycleof operation of the machine.

Referring to Figs. 6 to 9, inclusive, and especially to Fig. 6, aphotographic member a having a sensitized surface upon which an imagehas been photographically exposed is placed, image-bearing surface down,upon a feed table 10, and the leading edge of the photographic member isfed to the open gripper 11 carried by a large cylinder 12. With theleading edge of the photographic member accurately registered withrespect to the gripper, the gripper is closed into locking engagementwith the leading edge of the member a and the cylinder 12 rotated incounterclockwise fashion.

As the cylinder 12,is rotated, the leading edge of the photographicmember a is carried around the periphery of the cylinder and through thesmall gap between the surface of a rotating liquid applying roller 13and the periphery of the cylinder 12. The rotating roller 13 ispartially submerged in the moistening solution 11 within the reservoiror tank 14 of the machine, so that a film of the liquid b is carried onthe surface of the roller. The surface of the roller 13 and theperiphery of the cylinder 12 are separated by a small gap, which gap isadequate to prevent the surface of the roller from wetting the surfaceof the cylinder when the cylinder iscarrying the photographic member a.The gap is also adequate to allow the photographic. member a .to passfreely between the cylinder 12 and the roller 13, but as indicated inFig. 7, the additional thickness of the photographic member issufficient to cause the liquid film on the roller 13 to jump the gap andform a meniscus .x between the roller and thesurface of the photog p i mth eby wetting the image-bearing surface of the photographic member awith the moistening solution.

Meanwhile, the sheet upon which the image is to be transferred is fedupon the curved platform 17 toward the bite between the sheet feedingrollers 15, 16. The leading edge of the sheet 0 is inserted into thebite between the feed rollers, however, the feed rollers are stationaryand no rotation is imparted to them until the appropriate time in themachine cycle when it is desired to advance the sheet 0. Thus, if thesheet 0 is placed in position with the leading edge in the bite betweenthe feed rollers at the beginning of the cycle, the sheet will beadvanced automatically at the appropriate moment in timed relation withrespect to the position of the cylinder 12 and the photographic member athereon.

After the photographic member passes the liquid applying roller 13 andthe active surface is moistened thereby, a time interval is necessary toallow the coating on the film to become thoroughly softened by themoistening solution, so that a good transfer will result when thesurfaces of the sheet c and the photographic member a are pressedtogether. This time interval is provided for by driving the cylinder 12at the proper speed and by the distance which the photographic membermust travel between the liquid applying roller 13 and the pres sureapplying roller 18.

At the appropriate point in the cycle of operation, the feed rollers 15,16 are driven to advance the sheet 0 and .the leading edge of the sheetis guided by the guide plate 20 toward the bite between the pressureapplying roller 18 and the periphery of the cylinder 12.

The leading edge of the sheet c should overlap or lead the leading edgeof the photographic member a to prevent the surface of the squeezeroller 18 from being wet by the moistening solution, therefore, theoperation of the feed rollers 15, 16 should be timed to insure thedelivery of the leading edge of the sheet 0 to the bite between thecylinder 12 and the roller 18 slightly before the leading edge of thephotographic member a.

As shown in Fig. 8, after the photographic member a and the sheet 0 havepassed between the pressure roller 18 and the surface of the cylinder12, the pressure therebetween causing the image to be transferred fromthe photographic member to the surface of the sheet 0 to form a positiveimage thereon, the leading edge of the sheet may be gripped between thethumb and index finger and separated from the photographic member bypulling the paper upward as the cylinder continues to rotate. Thephotographic member a, of course, remains gripped to the cylinder untilthe gripper member 11 is released, as shown in Fig. 9, which may beeither during the same cycle of rotation of the cylinder 12 during whichthe image is transferred, or in the case of the manually operatedmachine, inasmuch as the operators attention will be in the mainconcentrated upon the removal of the image-receiving sheet 0, during thesubsequent cycle.

As shown in Fig. 9, the pressure roller 18 may be translated away fromthe surface of the cylinder 12 (in the direction indicated by the arrowd) to permit the photographic'member a to be pulled between the space Inthe direction indicated by the arrow e without wetting the surface ofthe roller 18.

The operation of the machine has been described in a general way inconnection with Figs. 6 to 9, inclusive, and with this operation clearlyin mind the structure of the machine will now be described in greaterdetail below.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 3, the side frames 22, 23 of the, machine areheld together by means of two tubular reinforcement members 24 (Fig. 3).As shown in Fig. 2, the cylinder 12 is supported upon a shaft 26, andthe shaft 26 is accommodated in slots 27 formed in the side frames. Theslots 27 may, if desired, serve to facilitate the location of theperiphery of the cylinder 12 with respect to the surface of theapplicator roller; 13 to per mit the spacing between the periphery ofthe cylinder and the surface of the roller to be carefully regulated.The slot 27, of course, also serves to facilitate the removal of thecylinder and to provide access to the various operating mechanisms ofthe machine.

Although the machine may, if preferred, be a motordriven unit, theapparatus shown in the drawings is adapted to be driven by a hand crank30. The hand crank is attached to one end of a transverse shaft 31extending between the side frames of the machine, and the end of theshaft opposite the crank end is provided with a sprocket wheel 32. Thesprocket wheel 32 drives a chain 33 which passes around and engages .theteeth of another sprocket wheel 34 (see Fig. 3). The sprocket wheel 34is mounted at the end of a transverse shaft 35, which also is supportedbetween the side frames of the machine, and the other end thereof (theright end as viewed in Fig. 1) carries a small pinion 36 (see Fig. 2)mounted inside the frame 23 and a large gear 37 mounted outboard of theframe. The small pinion 36 drives the large gear wheel 38 mounted on thecylinder-supporting shaft 26, thereby rotating the cylinder 12, whereasthe gear 37 drives a small pinion 40 mounted at the extreme right end(as viewed in Fig. 1) of the transverse shaft 41 which carries theliquid roller 13.

It may be noted that both the cylinder 12 and the applicator roller 13are driven by the operation of the hand crank 30, and, as indicated bythe arrows in Fig. 7, both are driven in the same direction, that is tosay, in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in that figure. Thedirections of travel of the surfaces of the roller 13 and the surface ofthe photographic member a are, of course, opposite. The amount of liquidtransferred to the surface of the photographic member a by the surfaceof the roller 13 may be varied by the speed at which the roller 13rotates, or that is to 'say, by the ratio of the gears 37, 41.

As mentioned above, the leading edge of the photographic member a isadapted to be firmly engaged by the gripper 11 carried on the largecylinder 12. When the cylinder 12 is in the position represented by Fig.6, and the gripper 11 open, the photographic member a may be easilydelivered to the gripper by the feed tray 10which guides the leadingedge thereof directly into the bite of the open gripper. The gripper, asbest shown in Figs. 3 and 4, extends between the side faces of thecylinder 12, and is pivotally mounted on pins 11a.

The grippers may be opened and closed by means of a knurled wheel 45mounted on a rotatable sleeve 46 which is supported on the shaft 26 justinboard of the side frame 22. The sleeve 46 carries a cam element 47 (asbest shown in Fig. 5) which, when the wheel 45 is rotated, contacts aspring urged arm 48 to pivot the transverse shaft 49, and the shaft 49carries at approximately the center thereof a slotted collar 50 (seeFig. 3) which engages a plate 500: and thereby controls the opening andclosing of the gripper 11. A spring 51 acting on the arm 48 normallyurges the shaft 49 to gripper closing position, whereas the rotation ofthe cam 47 as controlled by the knob 45, pivots the shaft 49 in adirection opposite to the tension of the spring 51 and pivots thegripper 11 to open position.

During the rotation of the cylinder 12, the arm 48, by

virtue ofits engagement with the notch 47a'of the cam 47, maintains thearm 48 and cam 47 in fixed relative position, in spite of the fact thatthe sleeve 46 is free to rotate on the shaft 26.

The liquid applying roller 13, as mentioned above, is supported by ashaft 21 rotatably journaled in the side frames 22, 23 of the machine,and the roller 13 is so disposed with respect to the tank or reservoir14 that it rotates partly submerged beneath the normal full level of theliquid b contained therein. The roller 13 is located so as to provide agap between it and the periphery of the cylinder 12. The roller,therefore, does not wet the 5 surface of the cylinder 12, however, whenthe gap is diminished by the passage of a photographic member atherethrough, the liquid film on the surface of the roller jumps thegap, thereby effectively moistening the coating of the photgraphicmember.

The tank or trough 14 which holds the moistening solution is detachablymounted between the side frames 22, 23 of the machine by brackets 52(see Fig. 3).

As explained above, the sheet upon which the image is to be transferred,may be placed on the guide tray 17 at the beginning of the cycle withthe leading edge of the sheet inserted into the bite between the feedrollers 15, 16, and the feed rollers will advance the sheet c at theappropriate time toward the bite between the cylinder 12 and thepressure roller 18.

The upper feed rollers 15 are suitably spaced upon the transverse shaft54, and the shaft is supported at each end in slots 55a of side arms 55attached to the inside .faces of the side frames 22, 23. The rollers 15,therefore, due to ther weight and the effect of gravity maintainpressure contact with the surface of the lower feed roller 16. The lowerfeed roller 16 is carried by a shaft rotatably mounted between the sideframes of the machine, and the shaft carries at one end thereof (seeFig. l) a gear 61 by which the rolleris intermittently driven.

The feed rollers 15, 16 advance the sheet 0 toward the bite between thecylinder 12 and the pressure roller 18 in timed relation to the travelof the photographic image-bearing member a about the cylinder 12, thetiming being such, as explained above, that the forward edge of theimage-receiving sheet c slightly leads the forward edge of thephotographic member a. The distance traveled by the photographic membera between the liquid applying roller 13 and the pressure roller 18 andthe speed of travel of the cylinder 12 should be such as to give themoistened surface of the photographic member sufiicient time to becomesoftened by the liquid.

The intermittent drive of the roller 16 is controlled by a segment 56(see Fig. carried by the left side face of the cylinder 12. The segment56 frictionally engages a rubber ring 57 which is carried in a groove ofthe hub 58a of gear 60, the hub being rotatably mounted on a stub shaft58 attached to the side frame 22 of the machine. The gear 60 meshes witha gear 61 carried at the end of the shaft of the feed roller 16. Inorder that the friction between the segment 56 and the ring 57 may beproperly maintained, the shaft 58 is accommodated in a slot in the frame22 and a stud 57a locks the shaft in the desired adjusted position inthe slot. The position of the segment 56 with respect to the gripper 11is such that the friction surface of the segment frictionally engagesthe rubber ring 57 at the appropriate time in the machine cycle to drivethe feed roller 16. The light pressure applied by the rollers on theupper surface of the sheet c insures proper, smooth feeding of thesheet.

The extreme right end of the feed roller 16 may be provided with amanually controlled knob 63 to permit the feed rollers to be turned overby hand.

Referring to Fig. 3, the pressure roller 18 is rotatably supportedbetween a pair of pivotal arms 70 having their fulcra on studs 71. Thearms 70 are adapted to be pivoted under the control of a crank handle 72at the lefthand side of the machine, so that the pressure exertedbetween the roller 18 and the cylinder 12 may be regulated by theposition of the handle 72.

The crank handle '72 is mounted at the left end of a shaft 73 rotatablymounted between the side frames 22, 23 of the machine, and the shaft 73carries a downwardly disposed arm 75 at each end, the lower ends ofwhich are connected to the rearward ends of the arms 70 by links 76. Asthe crank handle 72 is turned in a clockwise direction, as viewed inFig. 3, the rubber pressure roller 18 will be raised out of contact withthe periphery of the cylinder 12, and as the handle 72 is rotated in acounterclockwise direction, the. roller will be moved. into contact withthe periphery of the cylinder 12 with increasing pressure. 7

In order to permit the pressure of the roller 18 against the surface ofthe cylinder 12 to be incrementally adjusted, a curved plate 8t)containing a plurality of spaced locating holes therein is mounted tothe outside face of the side frame 22, and the knob 72a of the arm 72 ispro vided with a spring-urged locating pin 72b which may be insertedinto the desired locating hole of the curved piate hit to maintain thearm in the set position. The pin 72b may, of course, be withdrawn fromthe hole merely by pulling the knob 7211 against the pressure of thespring 72c, and the arm 72 is thenagain free to be rotated to change thepressure or to lift the roller 18 away from the periphery of thecylinder 12.

The invention has been shown and described in a single embodiment onlyand obviously many modifications and variations may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, themanuallycontrolled crank arm 30 may be eliminated and the device drivenby an electric motor. Also, it is understood that means may be providedfor automatically discharging the photographic member a and theimage-receiving sheet 0 from the machine, rather than by the handoperation described. it is understood, therefore, that the invention isnot to be limited to any specified form or embodiment except insofar assuch limitations are expressly set forth in the claims.

We claim:

1. In a machine wherein an image is transferred from the surface of onemember to the surface of another, the combination of a reservoircontaining liquid to be applied to the surface of the member from whichthe image is to be transferred, means for applying pressure between themembers, means for advancing the member from which the image is to betransferred toward the pressure applying means Without submerging themember beneath the surface of the liquid, means for independentlyadvancing the member to which the image is to be transferred toward thepressure applying means without submerging the member beneath thesurface of the liquid, a. rotating roller receiving liquid from thereservoir, the surface of said roller in its normal operative positionbeing closely spaced but spacially separated in relation to the path oftravel of the member from which the image is to be transferred to form agap between the surface of the rotating roller and the surface of themember from which the image is to be transferred, the liquid beingapplied from the periphery of the rotating roller to the surface of themember from which the image is to be transferred by the liquid crossingthe gap in the form of a meniscus, and

7 means for driving the rotating roller in a direction so that thesurface of the roller will move in an opposite direction to thedirection of feed of the member from which the image is to betransferred.

2. In a machine wherein an image is transferred from the surface of onemember to the surface of another, the combination of a driven rotatablecylinder, a pressure applying roller in tangential relation to theperiphery of the cylinder, a driven liquid applying roller in itsoperative position being separated from the periphery of the cylinder bya small gap, the direction of travel of the surface of the liquidapplying roller being opposite to the direction of travel of the surfaceof the rotatable cylinder, means associated with the cylinder forcarrying the memher from which the image is to be transferred around aportion of the periphery of the cylinder, first between the periphery ofthe cylinder and the liquid applying roller,

and then between the periphery of the cylinder and the pressure applyingroller, and means to advance the member to which the image is to betransferred toward the bite between the periphery of the cylinder andthe pressure applying roller, in registry with the image-bearing surfaceof the member from which the image is to be transferred, the arrangementbeing such that as the member from which the image is to be transferredis advanced through the gap between the periphery of the cylinder andthe liquid applying roller, the liquid will form a meniscus across thegap to apply the liquid to the surface of the said member.

3. In a machine wherein an image is transferred from the surface of onemember to the surface of another, the combination of a cylinder, apressure applying roller in tangential relation to the periphery of thecylinder, at pivotally operated gripper carried by the cylinder toengage the leading edge of the member from which the image is to betransferred and to guide the said member beneath the pressure applyingroller, a platform for supporting the member to which the image is to betransferred, a feed roller to advance the member to which the image isto be transferred between the surfaces of the cylinder and the pressureapplying roller, a liquid reservoir, a liquid applying roller partiallysubmerged in the liquid, means for driving said roller in the samedirection as the direction of rotation of the cylinder, whereby thesurface of the roller and the surface to be moistened are moving inopposite directions, said roller in operative position being spaciallyseparated from the periphery of the cylinder, but being in closerelation thereto, so that the fluid moves across the gap in the form ofa meniscus wetting the image-bearing surface of the member from whichthe image is to be transferred without contact between the roller andthe surface of the member, means to rotate the cylinder, and means tooperate the feed rollers intermittently in timed relation to theoperation of the cylinder, said means including a rotatable frictionring in driving relationship with the feed rolls and a friction segmentcarried by the cylinder, the frictional engagement therec-etweenimparting rotation to the feed rolls, whereby the members are passed inregistry between the periphery of the cylinder and the surface of thepressure applying roller, the pressure therebetween effecting thetransfer of the image from the surface of one member to the surface ofthe other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re.22,406 Rockhill Dec. 14, 1943 2,465,160 Levenhagen et al Mar. 22, 19492,502,278 Robinson Mar. 28, 1950 2,604,848 Mullen July 29, 1952 UNITEDSTATES PATENT QEFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No, 2,865,287December 23, 1958 Paul B, Streich, Sr, et al.1

It is hereby certified that error appears. in the above numbered patentrequiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read ascorrected below.

In the grant, lines 3 and 4, and in the heading to the printedspecifioation, line 5, for "a corporation of New Jersey" read acorporation of Delaware column 1, line 15, after "art" insert of column5, line 20, for "ther" read their I Signed and sealed this 19th dayofMay 1959 Attest:

M ROBERT c. WATSON Attesting Officer I Comnismiozner of Patents

